"Dry food is fine as long as it is complete and balanced," says Dr. Kallfelz. Dry food may be less expensive than canned cat food and may stay fresher longer. Cats that eat only dry food need to be provided with lots of fresh water, especially if they are prone to developing urinary tract blockages.
Dry diets, on the other hand, are almost always balanced for all essential nutrients. If you then feed an unbalanced wet food with these, it generally doesn't matter so much. And yes, for nutritional completeness you can just feed a dry diet.
Ultimately, your cat will decide whether she prefers dry or wet cat food. Purina nutritionists recommend feeding a combination of wet and dry food, though. This helps ensure she gets plenty of moisture in her diet, plus the dental benefits of dry food, all while adding variety to keep her interested.
So, do cats need wet food? Not necessarily, but feeding a combination of wet and dry food can give your cat the benefits of both. The wet food will increase her total daily water intake and provide her the variety she wants and the dry kibble will help keep her teeth clean.
If your pet refuses to eat a particular product or suffers from overall appetite loss, keep track of their behaviour in the following days. Don't panic—if your cat's not eating wet food, they might merely have an upset stomach. For example, they could've caught a mouse earlier and are suffering from indigestion.
Wet Food Keeps Cats Hydrated
Instead, they have two options: wet food, or dry kibble. Unlike dry cat food, wet food has enough water in it to provide your cat with much of the hydration they need. You can then use a running source of water (like a pet fountain) to provide the rest of the hydration that they need.
Do consider mixing canned and dry pet food. Adding canned food to dry food is another way to increase the moisture content and enhance the flavor of the meal, while allowing you the flexibility of buying different types of food that fit your budget.
Both dry and wet food, if they are good quality and nutritionally complete and balanced, can provide everything a cat needs for optimal health.
Cats can eat tuna as a treat and in small amounts, once or twice weekly at a maximum. Choose tuna in natural spring water. Avoid feeding cats tuna in oil or tuna in brine as these human tuna foods contain too much salt and oil so lack any health benefit, and can cause harm.
On the downside, wet food is usually more expensive than dry food, and it can spoil more quickly if not refrigerated properly. Dry food is generally less expensive than wet food and has a longer shelf life. It's also lower in calories and fat, which can benefit overweight cats or those with diabetes.
Whiskas are an average dry cat food and best as a sometimes choice for adult cats. Positives are the affordability, variety, and packaging clarity. Customers report great results, but our cat wasn't so sure. Negatives are the mixed taste, high carb content, and low protein.
Grazing or free feeding is a term, which refers to allowing your cat access to dry food all day, everyday - can severely impact the longevity of their lives. It increases the risk of many health issues such as urinary tract issues, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, and physiological issues.
Ideally, dry food should be consumed within six weeks of opening the bag, so pick your bag sizes appropriately. Kibble can be left out in bowls for a day or so, but don't offer more than should be consumed in 24 hours.
While Mr Whiskers may like consistency in most areas of life, it is possible for your cat to feel bored of the same food. Part of this has to do with the innate nature of cats as apex predators.
Cats are biologically programmed not to drink water which is near their food or near their toileting area - this is thought to be their instinctive avoidance of contaminating their water with potential sources of bacteria.
The mix is key: The right balance between dry and wet food
Mixed feeding – that is, feeding wet and dry food – combines the advantages of both food types. However, instead of mixing wet and dry food in a bowl, you should offer each food type in a separate bowl at a certain time of day.
While a cat's natural inclination is to have many small meals spread throughout the day, a healthy cat will be perfectly content eating once or twice per day as long as she is getting what she needs from those meals.
That said, the general rule that I stick by is approximately 1/4 cup of dry food twice a day for adult cats, and approximately 1/4-1/2 can of canned food (grueled with more water) as a snack. Kittens typically require feedings 3-4x/day; consider weaning them to an adult cat food around 6-8 months of age.
You can choose your own ratio of dry to wet food, but we generally recommend two thirds dry kibble to one third wet food. Wet and dry food have a different number of calories per gram, so you can't just interchange them.
If your cat will not drink fresh water, then you can try boiling some plain chicken breast or white fish and give your cat the cooking liquid to tempt them. This should not contain any salt or oil. You can also ask your vet whether oral rehydration fluids would be suitable.
If your cat eats dry food and is not willing to switch to wet, you can try adding water to the kibble. The kibble will absorb the water and become softer. If you add the water very gradually, your cat may learn to eat the moistened kibble.
Safely Feeding Eggs to Your Cat
You can feed your cat hard boiled, scrambled, poached or even microwaved eggs as long as they're fully cooked (reaching an internal temperature of 160°F). Just let the egg cool down a bit before serving. Don't add any seasonings to the egg that you feed your cat – not even salt.